We should all be proud of what we do for a living. We provide care to animals so we can supply healthy nutritious food for people around the world. It is a noble mission but unfortunately not everyone understands what we do. You never know when and where you will find yourself in a position to educate others about animal agriculture. Note that I did not say defend animal agriculture. If we continually do our best to provide care for the animals, use antibiotics judiciously, and protect the environment, we have nothing to defend. We simply need to educate.
Years ago, I boarded an airplane for a business trip. I sat down and greeted the lady in the seat beside me. We made the usual small talk; is your trip business or pleasure? I responded with business and the next logical question was “what do you do for a living?” After I explained that I was a veterinarian for a large pork production company, she giggled a little and informed me that she was a vegetarian and a member of People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). She was watching me closely in eager anticipation of my reaction. I smiled and said, “well good, we have one thing in common. We both care deeply about animals.” I am proud of our animal care program and anxious to share with anyone who will listen. That lady learned why we castrate baby pigs, dock tails, have hospital pens, provide gruel feed, pay close attention to the pig’s environment, and how animal handling is performed. We had a nice conversation. I do not know if she is still a member of PETA today, but I do know that she was kind enough to listen and far better informed about how pork producers care for their animals by the time that flight ended.
The use of antibiotics in livestock is another topic that commonly arises. As veterinarians we should be well versed on the subject and always ready to educate others. I have a note card in my office desk drawer titled “Antibiotics” with these three bullet points: 1) The risk to humans is negligible. 2) Not treating leads to undue suffering and death. 3) Healthy animals make safe food. I believe this came from a presentation Dr Scott Hurd gave at an AASV Annual Meeting. Shame on me for not referencing the author or year, but obviously the message resonated with me. With those three bullet points you can add as little or as much detail as necessary to tell our story. I appreciate him sharing that simple approach.
A third topic that I think we will need to provide education on is agriculture’s role in global warming. I suspect that like other businesses, animal agriculture will come under increased scrutiny as it relates to protecting the environment. That was why I wanted to introduce Dr Frank Mitloehner to our members and invited him to be a speaker at this years’ AASV Annual Meeting. I wish I had a dime for every time I have heard global warming, the Green New Deal, or carbon footprint in the past couple of years. I will be honest, I am not well versed on the subject. I am not sure that we as veterinarians need be experts in this area, but it may prove beneficial to be equipped with a few tools to educate others if approached.
Agriculture accounts for less than 10% of all US greenhouse gas emissions with pork production producing less than 0.46%.1 Manure is a renewable resource. It builds soil health and replaces the need for commercial fertilizer which would either be synthetic or mined. Dr Mitloehner taught us that livestock do indeed produce methane gas which goes into the environment, traps the sun’s heat, and can cause elevated atmospheric temperatures. The good news is that methane gas breaks down in about 10 years and is recycled. Stable livestock herds do not add warmth to our climate and as we become more efficient, we require fewer inputs to produce more pork, so our global footprint has shrunk over the years rather than expanded. By covering lagoons, the gas produced by our animals can be captured and used for fuel. So, US livestock do not increase global warming, but are a net global cooler. Pork producers are helping solve the greenhouse gas problem. What a wonderful story to share!
Join Operation Main Street to help prepare yourself for these conversations or take a moment to put together your own talking points. You can find great information in the We Care Sustainability Report Executive Summary, which can be accessed at bit.ly/3dFORjW. You never know when an opportunity to share our story will present itself.
Mary Battrell, DVM
AASV President
Reference
*1. US Environmental Protection Agency. Inventory of US greenhouse gas emissions and sinks 1990-2016. EPA 430-R-18-003. April 2018. Accessed April 7, 2021. https://www.epa.gov/sites/production/files/2018-01/documents/2018_complete_report.pdf
*Non-refereed reference.